Tag Archives: Personal development

“Everything is determined by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust – we all dance to a mystery tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”

Albert Einstein

At the very heart of Reiki, there is an accepted cosmological concept that a vital field of energy pervades the universe known as Ki. It is viewed as the underlying ingredient that not only permeates and connects the Universe together, but also actively forms part of all living things. Ki is the thread connecting all beingness, its flow is present and active in all activity throughout the cosmos. Ki, creates resonance between things causing situations and events to coincide spontaneously, linking them and generating the optimum opportunities for growth and development. In allowing flow we are participating in the unfolding of Creation’s epic story.

Ki, historically, is seen as an energy but it remains immeasurable and doesn’t behave as we would expect energy to from the point of view of traditional physics. This hasn’t helped those trying to prove the existence of a life force. Ted Kaptchuk in his book ‘The Web That Has No Weaver’ suggests, Ki is not a force added to lifeless matter but rather “the state of being of any phenomena”. The difficulty is that Ki, unlike light, doesn’t travel in a linear way from point A. to point B. and therefore cannot be measured like energy in the traditional sense. To understand Ki we must begin to imagine everything existing in delicate balance within the same unified field. Viewed this way we can see Ki as the substance in the cosmos through which everything coexists. As an extension of this the path of Reiki leads us to the understanding that we are an expression of this oneness, no separation, no need to protect. Very simply we realise we are it! An intimate part of the wholeness of creation…

In ancient China a model that explained the existence of the heavens and the earth was derived from the concept of a single source of energy consciousness known as Tai Yi, [the primordial unity of Yin and Yang]. It was understood everything was created from this great oneness, being part of it as consciousness and at the same time existing within it, floating about linked together in a great ocean-like field of Ki we call Creation.

Reiki teaches us that dis-ease is a result of dis-connection and the solution lies in simply re aligning ourselves to Ki flow, which serves to naturally reconnect us to the Universes unfolding story again. Instead of being ‘Apart From Creation’, we become ‘A Part Of Creation’. As we cultivate our relationship to Ki and listen to its rhythms, we start to align ourselves with the spontaneous rhythms of the universe. We begin to recognise the voice within and even though we may not know where the flow is taking us, by trusting and surrendering to it, our actions become aligned with a greater universal truth. It’s like diving into something because its depth is drawing us ever deeper.

Aligning ourselves to Ki awakens wholeness within us and our inner development becomes an act of letting go of all that isn’t whole. Just like a sculptor carves away at a rock and reveals what he has always seen hidden within it. Letting go of external distractions and interferences is part of our inner refinement and alignment to flow. We have to unplug ourselves from the social matrix, switch off the transmissions and distractions that have been designed to occupy us.

Ki flow helps us to become more aware of the destructive elements in our surroundings, noticing where our inner and outer worlds lack congruency. As we tune in, we begin to recognise the need to make more resourceful and loving lifestyle choices. Suddenly old patterns of behaviour are no longer appropriate to what we are becoming. Adjustments in our routines are inevitable and we may find we drop aspects of our old self. Everything comes up for review so we can decide what stays and what goes and what supports the refinement taking place within.

Ultimately, a natural balance occurs between the progress on the inside through the practices used to cultivate Ki and the change on the outside through lifestyle choices and environments we choose to put ourselves in. As we begin to listen to this inner flow and allow it to inform us, there is a natural alignment between our inner and outer worlds that reflects those choices we make.

Part two of my monthly theme of living with Reiki is about how to set up your perfect day. There is a great metaphor given by Esther Hicks where she describes momentum. She explains that in many ways our thoughts, feelings and intentions for the day gather momentum much like a car rolling down a hill. It is possible to step in front of a car when it first starts to roll and stop it rolling any further, but if the car is allowed to pick up momentum no one in their right mind would try and stop it.

In much the same way we stand a better chance of stopping the momentum of negative, thoughts, feelings and intentions if we catch them early. If we allow them to build momentum then it becomes very difficult to do anything about them.

Author of ‘breaking the habit of being yourself’, Dr. Joe Dispenza was once asked during a seminar what his personal routine was to set up his day. He said; “I don’t get out of bed until I have got my head right” This really resonated with me because I know from personal experience, my day reflects my mental and emotional state. If I start the day without first getting my thoughts and emotions right, then whatever state I am in will just build momentum and my day could become a complete roller coaster nightmare.

The Reiki practice has great tools for preparing ourselves but so often we forget to use them and many people only utilise them when giving treatments to others. When we realise living with Reiki is about using the practice each and every day of our lives we can begin to appreciate what a great tool it is.

So what can we do to get our head Right?

Fortunately there are two incredibly useful tools we have that are designed to serve this very purpose. Hawayo Takata when telling the history of Reiki emphasised, over and over again, the message that the monks gave to Mikao Usui. “The mind requires purifying before the physical body can be healed”. She talked of Mikao Usui feeling like he had failed after his experiences working with the beggars in the slums and why he included the five precepts into the system;

The inclusion of the 5 precepts in our Reiki practice teaches us to consider what is essential for our well-being. To reset our thinking, to focus our minds and emotions on the principals for health and happiness. They do not need to be chanted but simply contemplated. The best place to do that is in Gassho.

Gassho is so incredibly valuable to our practice and as well as serving to generate energy flow this Mudra is a place where our intention is established and we focus our mind and return ourselves to balance. It is a traditional gesture formed by placing the palms of the hands together with all fingers pointing upwards. It symbolises the oneness of all beings and is often used in the East as a humble greeting, a sign of respect or to give thanks. Called Namaste in Sanskrit. [‘Namah’ means bow ‘te’ means to you]. It literally means, “I bow to you” and is regarded as an honouring of the divinity in someone we meet. The two hands brought together are symbolic of our human and Buddha nature. The left hand represents our human nature and the right hand our Buddha nature. Bringing them together over the heart is symbolic that both aspects reside within us and we are never far away from our Buddha self.

It is essential to remember is it is not the quantity of time but the quality of time that you give yourself that gets your thinking right. Even when you think you don’t have time, MAKE TIME each and every day to be still, connect to Reiki and consider the 5 precepts.

Part 1.

Sit quietly and place your hands in Gassho (Prayer Position) over the heart and bring your attention to your breath.

Whist breathing in, imagine drawing in energy, through the full surface of your body, from all around you to your Hara (Belly).

Whilst breathing out feel the spread of energy up through your body, to your heart and hands

Part 2.

Begin to consider the five precepts and the significance of them in your life for the day ahead.

Just for today

Release anger

Release worry

Be Grateful

Be honest in your endeavors

Be kind to all.

Part 3.

Bring all of your attention to your belly, feel grounded and supported by the earth below you. See yourself as an intimate part of the world and connected to everything and everyone in it. When you feel centred, balanced and connected, your ready to start your day!

All Eastern philosophies related to the gathering and utilisations of Ki have one essential element at the core of their teachings. The accessibility of the vital essence of life requires that we be in the present moment in order to notice it is there. The present moment is the place where we reconnect to our essential nature and, by virtue, reconnect to flow. In order to experience Ki, we have to shift our focus away from the external distractions and dramas of everyday life and realign ourselves within. To our surprise when we do, it takes very little to achieve deep connection inside, but the nature of the beast, is such, that we find life’s dramas exact a strong pull on us and discipline is required to remain present.

A dear friend of mine’s favourite saying was “Get your ducks lined up”. Because when ducks aren’t lined up and they are all swimming this way and that, quacking, going around in circles they cause chaos. Getting our own ducks lined up requires us to bring our minds back to the present, find our centre and reconnect to the flow through our internal energy system once more.

When we do get back into the flow, we see how out of sync we had been previously. Being in the flow is an example of Wu Wei, efficiency in action because the flow of energy through us is the same flow through everything. Finding our inner flow involves encountering stillness by letting go of external distractions and interferences. We have to unplug ourselves from the social matrix, switch off the transmissions and distractions that have been designed to occupy us and make time to mindfully experience ourselves, and just be.

Fortunately there are many ways we can create the space to settle within. Having a body balancing session like reflexology or massage. Booking a Reiki treatment to open our energy system to flow and bring our mind back home or going on retreat to just simply be for a while in the stillness of ourselves are just a few of the tools we can use to reconnect to flow again.

Flow informs us of personal choices we can take, which naturally alter the way we feel and think about ourselves. We may find we wish to invest more of our time and energy in maintaining our sense of wellbeing and health. As we refine we become more aware of the destructive elements in our surroundings. We begin to notice where our inner and outer worlds lack congruency. As we tune in, we begin to recognise the need to make more resourceful and loving lifestyle choices. Suddenly old patterns of behaviour are no longer appropriate to what we are becoming. Adjustments in our routines are inevitable and we may find we drop aspects of our old self. Whether it be smoking, drinking, the foods we eat, the programmes we watch on TV, social media, negative thinking, conflicts, bad company, too much stimuli etc.. It all comes up for review so we can decide what goes and what we can replace it with that supports the refinement taking place within.

Ultimately, a natural balance occurs between the progress on the inside through the practices and lifestyle choices we use to cultivate flow and the change on the outside and the environments we choose to put ourselves in. As we begin to listen to this inner flow and allow it to inform us, there is a natural alignment between our inner and outer worlds that reflects those choices we make. To be cheerfully Chi full, we have to turn to life sustaining behaviours. In other words, to be Chi full requires us to live a life that fosters Chi.

The following is a nice simple visualisation meditation you can use to clear your central channel and help get your ducks lined up.

Self Purification

This is a purifying technique using visualisation and breath to clear and strengthen your energy. There are several variations that essentially follow the same route. This is the one I use.

Ensure you won’t be disturbed and induce a relaxed state prior to starting with self-meditation breathing into your Hara.

Sitting down on a chair hands on your lap, visualise a sphere of white light above your head.

See it radiating a purifying and clearing light in all directions (If you have 2nd level Reiki place a SHK and CKR symbol in it)

See the sphere descend down through the crown radiating purifying light in all directions clearing all blocked energy.

See the sphere descend through the centre line of your body, clearing and purifying as it goes. As it radiates light in all directions allow the sphere to descend down to your Hara filling it with light .

See the sphere expanding filling your whole body with light.

Let the sphere continue to expand out into your energy field filling your aura with light

Expand the sphere further out boundlessly to infinity until all you experience of yourself is light and your intimate connection to everything.

To end

Feel your feet on the floor hands on your lap . Be aware of your breath, the sensations in your body and in your own time, when you’re ready open up your eyes.

One of the Kanji found in the middle of the Reiki pictograph is the character Wu which literally translates as ‘Shaman’. Wu also refers to the empty void from which flows the primordial essence of the universe and becoming one with this essence is the principle path of Taoism.

In keeping with my theme of emptiness this month, I would like to discuss the ‘Wu Wei’, which epitomizes the Taoist philosophy of becoming empty like bamboo, so that we can feel the flow of primordial essence through us. ‘Wu Wei’ is the art of non-action or following the path of least resistance. It refers to the cultivation of a state of being in which our actions are effortlessly efficient and in alignment with the natural flow of our environment and is achieved by first becoming conscious of an inner flow within. It is said when we do, the potential is there for us to become aware of our intimate connection to everything in the outer world and realize we are part of the universes unfolding story and an expression of its infinite creativity. The more still and empty we can become, the more we are aware of our own formlessness and the more we are able to sense this creative expression of universal energy through us, as flow.

I love this appreciation of emptiness because it encapsulates the approach we must cultivate when it comes to practicing Reiki. So often we can get caught up in our own ability to give Reiki that we inadvertently make the healing about ourselves, even though we are told throughout our training that it is not us that is doing the healing and to let go and trust Reiki’s innate intelligence to know what is needed and where to flow.

So can we learn from the Taoist philosophy of Wu Wei? Can we embody the notion of emptiness, not make it about us, get out of the way and allow space through which Reiki can flow? I believe this is the real key to successful Reiki treatment. To experience the quality of the interaction whilst reminding ourselves; everything that takes place is what is required. Being empty means we let go of preconceived ideas of what is to take place. It is to realize that trying to direct Reiki is as futile as trying to push a river, for like a river, Reiki flows where it will.

Being empty is to surrender and allow an unfolding of the healing process that is congruent with the needs of the client. The more we push someone towards some desired outcome, the less congruent we are. The more we try to fix someone and send them home healed, the more we have robbed them of their own opportunity to heal themselves.

Wu Wei is effortless action, acting when the time is right and achieving, without the appearance of trying. When we allow ourselves to be inspired by spirit [in-spirited], we are allowing ourselves to become in that instant intuitively directed by the flow of energy through us. The emptier we become the more we are guided to be appropriate for the given moment because we are present with what is. The emptier we are, the greater the Ki flow and the greater the potential response.

The person who is most effective at becoming empty and open is usually the one who is not trying because quite simply, Ki flow is interrupted by our own needs and wants. It’s not easy to be deeply surrendered and not make things about ourself. It’s not easy to release outcomes and simply hold a space for someone else unconditionally. We like to feel useful, we like to think of ourselves as making a difference. We want to know that we have helped facilitate change. But all that just gets in the way and prevents us really being completely open and surrendered to what is.

Wu Wei as a concept, teaches us that rather than trying to force a result upon another, we must allow it to unfold naturally. Allow flow to reveal what is required and guide us to the right outcome. This is our task, to become like empty bamboo so that we can feel the vital essence of life through us. Fortunately we are beautifully designed for this purpose, we are the point at which the Yin of earth and the Yang of heaven converge. The more still and the emptier we become, the more we can realise ourselves to be a manifestation of them. As we develop this relationship to these two polarities, the greater we experience their flow until we arrive at a very simple truth, we are intimately connected to everything and a part of lifes unfolding story.

In Qigong there is a physical stance called the Wuji. This is the standing posture from which all movement arises. Wuji has been likened to empty bamboo because, before any forms are learnt, first we learn to stand as emptiness. We could call it the shaman’s stance. It relates to the infinite possibilities before the creation of Yin and Yang. As a stance it informs us of what is misaligned and out of balance that prevents wholeness within our being. Through the Wuji we learn to root ourselves, take our place on the ground and stand tall. We learn where to focus our centre of gravity and become mindful of what is obstructing flow within. Most importantly of all, we learn to view earth as a living entity that we have grown out from.

Through the Wuji we can experience the integration of Yin and Yang energies in the body and begin to notice the focal point for these energies in the Hara. It is here that Reiki can be gathered as part of our daily preparation. The Wuji is an incredibly useful exercise that helps us become aware of what we are holding onto that prevents the flow of Ki within.

Exercise for Wuji

Place your feet approximately shoulder width apart, heels and toes parallel.Imagine yourself in the saddle of a horse and allow your knees to flex gently

Begin rocking forwards and backwards from your heel to your toes whilst maintaining full contact with the earth through the soles of your feet. This will activate the yong quan [bubbling spring] points in your feet. As you continue to rock gently, allow the hips and pelvis to become fluid and part of the movement.

After a few minutes, allow the rocking to slowly reduce, winding you in, finding the perfect point of balance and stillness.

As you begin to feel what you notice inside that requires unwinding, make minute adjustments to your posture so that your skeletal system is supporting you and your muscles can relax as much as possible.

Become aware of your spine and allow it to extend upwards vertebra by vertebra as it feels supported by the foundations of feet, legs, hips and pelvis below.

Allow your shoulders to open and relax and your arms to sink downwards

feel your neck lengthening and your jaw relaxing. Allow your head to find a point of balance on the top of your spine.

When you feel a synergy between, breath, balance and stillness, whilst staying nicely rooted to the earth, imagine opening the top of your head and connecting with the space above you.

Breathe, relax and feel the connection between the earth below you, the heavens above, your breath anchoring you to the now and Ki flowing through the emptiness of you.

In this weeks blog I wish to discuss the questions can anyone learn to heal? Are some people more predisposed to be effective as healers than others and if so what can us lesser mortals do to improve our practice?

Over the years I’ve met some incredible healers and when it came to transmitting energy they seemed able to manifest huge amounts of Ki. Also their ability to perceive what was required and transmute energy went beyond the average Reiki practitioner. So in today’s blog I wish to discuss why that might be and how some people seem able to hold a healing space and channel energy more abundantly than others. Continue reading →

I remember when I was in my twenties and starting out on my personal journey of self discovery, I met an ex Pan Am Captain who had a wrist watch with the words NOW repeated all around the face of the watch in place of the numbers. It was a great reminder of the importance of staying present with what is.

In this second blog on improving your relationship with yourselves and your environment, I want to discuss mindfulness and give you a great meditation to use on a daily basis. Aside from being an essential aspect of living with Reiki and giving a Reiki treatment, mindfulness extends to every waking moment of your life when you live with awareness of the NOW. Continue reading →

One of the first teachings my Reiki Master June Woods gave me in 1993 was “Just relax and let it flow dear.. Reiki knows where to go”. I still tell my own students this and when they are doubtful of their own capacity to give Reiki, I suggest, not making it about them but instead make it about the person receiving. I was also taught that there was no need to be concerned about the outcome of a healing or get myself involved in diagnosis because I was simply a channel through which the energy flows. The idea that Reiki flows to where it is needed most and is an intelligent life force energy that requires no direction is still taught today but there are questions that have arisen in me through my practice of Reiki and this week I wish to discuss the question; “Do we direct Reiki or just let it flow?” Continue reading →

With this weeks equinox and new moon the emphasis is on new beginnings and I want to share an exercise I do with many of my clients to help you clarify what you want. It’s often the case that we can reel off for hours and hours all the things in life we don’t want, but when someone asks us what we do want, it becomes really difficult to answer the question.

I spend a lot of time with clients clarifying what they want because unless we actually know where we are heading, we cannot hope to achieve our desired outcomes. It is important not only in terms of goals we set for ourselves in the material sense but also the goals we set for our personal development and inner peace and balance. Continue reading →